Course name
University name or location
Topic or category
Find a course
Search, shortlist and compare thousands of courses to find that perfect one.
Where to study
See what makes a university special and discover where you belong.
Find a university
Search by name or city.
Get Advice
Get tips, tricks and wise words from students and experts at each stage.
Browse advice
A-level choices
Accounting personal statement examples
Law degree
Revision help
Oxbridge applications
Ucas application
Student life
Student finance
Browse all advice
Popular right now
A-level results day 2026: what to expect
Btec results day 2026: what to expect
Clearing and results day 2025: prepare your back-up plan
Clearing 2025: four things you might not know about Clearing and results day
Finding accommodation after getting a university place in Clearing 2025
A guide to Ucas Clearing 2025: how to find your university place
Clearing 2025: how to call universities
What happens if you miss the grades for your university offer?
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Fine Art (Professional Placement Year)
Bath Spa University
Entry requirements
Here's what you will need to get a place on the Fine Art (Professional Placement Year) course at Bath Spa University.
Select a qualification to see required grades
A level
B,B,B
Grades BBB - BCC. No specific subject required.
You may also need to
Submit a portfolio
Tuition fees
| Location | Fees |
|---|---|
| England | £9,535 per year |
| Scotland | £9,535 per year |
| Wales | £9,535 per year |
| Northern Ireland | £9,535 per year |
| Channel Islands | £9,535 per year |
| Republic of Ireland | £9,535 per year |
| EU | £19,330 per year |
| International | £19,330 per year |
Course summary
What this course is about
UCAS code: W102
Here's what Bath Spa University says about its Fine Art (Professional Placement Year) course.
A studio-centred fine arts degree, encouraging independent enquiry and delivered by practising artists.
-
Outstanding programme of visiting speakers, including internationally acclaimed artists and curators.
-
Exceptional academic and technical support in painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, film, sound, performance and photography.
-
Exciting collaborative opportunities with external partners such as Tate Exchange, Porthleven Prize and Gane Trust Travel Award.
This studio-centred course offers you the opportunity to explore the disciplines of painting, sculpture, performance, installation, printmaking, and lens-based and digital media.
The Fine Art course is characterised by a profound synergy between academic and technical teaching and learning. You'll work towards an independent, critical and reflective practice, supported through tutorials, workshops, lectures, study trips and, in the first year, weekly contact with your personal tutor.
Our lecturers are engaged in their own practice as artists, bringing a contagious energy to the dialogue and exchange with students. In this community, students, tutors and dedicated technicians work together to understand and develop what contemporary art can or should be today. You’ll develop the skills you need for a successful career - as an artist or in a related profession.
More about the Professional Placement Year A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.
Source: Bath Spa University
Course details
Qualification
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Department
Bath School of Art, Film and Media
Location
Main Site | Bath
Duration
4 Years
Study mode
Full-time with year in industry
Subjects
• Fine art
Start date
14 September 2026
Application deadline
14 January 2026
The modules you will study
In Year 1 experimentation with materials, techniques and processes are foregrounded. You’ll establish a way of working that is playful and analytical; through this process you’ll begin to recognise what themes are emerging in your work.
Year 2 is a pivotal period of development in which you are supported to progress your ideas, conceptual strategies and processes. You are encouraged to develop an awareness of the debates that surround your practice and continually test its boundaries. Off site exhibitions, projects and other initiatives will support you to consider work beyond the studio.
In your final year, you’ll build upon their ideas you explore in years 1 and 2. Greater emphasis is placed not only on a body of resolved, considered and well executed work, but also on work that is ambitious and takes risks. At the end of the year you’ll present work in a degree show that is open to the public.
How you will be assessed
The course is made up of summative and formative assessments. Formative assessment takes place with the work in the studio and is ongoing throughout the duration of the course. Feedback is given verbally and through written reports from a personal tutor. Summative assessments take place at the end of modules. Assessments take the form of a presented body of work, an exhibition, reflective/academic text or live presentations.
Bath Spa University reviews
Showing 28 reviews
2nd year student
the student union is small and not many people go, the societies are also small, but they have a good team to support student issues
1 year ago
2nd year student
there is like 3 clubs in bath so the night life is a bit rubbish, everything is quite expensive so itu2019s hard do do stuff on a uni budget
1 year ago
2nd year student
bath is quite expensive in general and if it wasnu2019t for having saving then it would be really difficult to afford living here, the cheapest accommodation wasnu2019t even covered by my student loan
1 year ago
2nd year student
the lectures are normally really helpful and they have a lot of welfare support available
1 year ago
2nd year student
the library and the data base they have is very big and they have a lot available, they have an on campus gym and su, however the su is very small and normally pretty much empty, the accommodation is nice if u can afford the more expensive ones, however the cheapest options are questionable
1 year ago
2nd year student
there as a lot of independent learning as some semesters your not in everyday all day, the mixture of fashion and business is good as you have model dedicated to normally just one aspect, the teachers are normally available to help especially seeing as the classes are a bit smaller
1 year ago
National Student Survey (NSS) scores
The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.
Here you can see ratings from Bath Spa University students who took the Fine Art (Professional Placement Year) course - or another course in the same subject area.
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
85%
med
Teaching on my course
85%
med
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
93%
med
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
93%
med
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
85%
med
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
71%
med
Learning opportunities
78%
med
Learning opportunities
78%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
80%
low
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
76%
med
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
71%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
93%
med
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
73%
med
Assessment and feedback
91%
high
Assessment and feedback
91%
high
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
90%
med
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
90%
med
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
93%
high
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
90%
med
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
90%
high
Academic support
89%
med
Academic support
89%
med
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
90%
med
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
88%
med
Organisation and management
60%
low
Organisation and management
60%
low
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
61%
low
How well organised is your course?
59%
med
Learning resources
85%
med
Learning resources
85%
med
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
71%
low
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
92%
med
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
90%
med
Student voice
70%
med
Student voice
70%
med
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
54%
low
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
78%
med
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
78%
med
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
82%
med
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
95%
high
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
83%
med
Student information
See who's studying at Bath Spa University. These students are taking Fine Art (Professional Placement Year) or another course from the same subject area.
| Most popular A-levels studied | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Grade | |||||
| Fine Art | A | |||||
| Psychology | C | |||||
| English Literature | A | |||||
| Art and Design | B | |||||
| History | C | |||||
Graduate prospects
What graduates do next
Facts and figures about Bath Spa University graduates who took Fine Art (Professional Placement Year) - or another course in the same subject area.
Graduate statistics
50%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
88%
In work, study or other activity
65%
Say it fits with future plans
35%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
15%
Sales occupations
12%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
12%
Elementary occupations
10%
Business and public service associate professionals
Graduate statistics percentages are determined 15 months after a student graduates
Earnings after graduation
Earnings from Bath Spa University graduates who took Fine Art (Professional Placement Year) - or another course in the same subject area.
Earnings
£19.3k
First year after graduation
£22.3k
Third year after graduation
£26.6k
Fifth year after graduation
Shown here are the median earnings of graduates at one, three and five years after they completed a course related to Fine Art (Professional Placement Year).
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree
Discussions
Discussions
Students are talking about Bath Spa University on The Student Room.
Bath Spa University open days
Are you thinking of applying to this university?
Before you do, it's a good idea to go to an open day. You can have a good look around campus, getting a better idea of what it's like to study there. You'll meet current students and staff and get the chance to ask them questions.
Universities will list upcoming open days on their websites. Most will also have virtual open days; these are a great alternative if you really can't get there in person. For tips on preparing for open days, check the advice section here on The Uni Guide.
